


The Shadowhunters & Warlock

by HouseElfMagic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Flirting, Bad Parent Robert Lightwood, Family Bonding, Gen, Healing, Identity Porn, M/M, Robert Lightwood is not a good guy, Superhero!AU, mentions of past arson/child abuse/unethical medical experimentation on a child, only a little angst I promise, superhero!alec, superhero!izzy, superhero!jace, superhero!magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 05:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20187280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseElfMagic/pseuds/HouseElfMagic
Summary: Alec, Izzy, and Jace (the Shadowhunters) have been superheroes for the past two years, often teaming up with Warlock, a friendly fellow super. Now they take on their biggest case yet, a case that gets personal for everyone. Meanwhile Alec (Archer) and Warlock must deal with a mutual attraction hindered by secret identities. Can they solve this case when the stakes are higher than they've ever been and people's pasts come back to haunt?





	The Shadowhunters & Warlock

**Author's Note:**

> mentions of past arson/child abuse/unethical medical experimentation on a child  
on screen violence, mild gore, and death (not of a "good guy")
> 
> i swear this really isn't as dark as it sounds
> 
> please let me know what you think!

Alec, Jace, and Izzy have only been superheroes for a couple years, but it’s enough time for make a reputation for themselves. It can be hard to stand out in a crowd of supers, especially if your powers are less flashy. Granted, Izzy and Jace are both extroverted enough that it doesn’t really matter for them. Of course, Izzy’s illusion powers can be pretty dramatic, and Jace’s near invulnerability warranted some comparisons to Superman. But Alec? It wasn’t like drawing temporary runes on himself to give himself increased speed, stamina, or strength was a really flashy power. Hell, most of the time, people didn’t even know that was his power. They assumed his power had something to do with his archery (which it wasn’t—his archery was pure skill, plain and simple). But Archer was much less... showy than his siblings.  
That’s why it always catches him off guard when someone notices him. Like Warlock.  
He dodges another bullet by rolling to the side and coming up with an arrow notched and ready to fire. Demon is a notorious villain, who usually makes sure to hire the best goons around. He is also clearly wealthy enough to provide them with some pretty high-tech guns and plenty of ammo. Alec greatly preferrs the outsourced, cheap goons who knew when to give up and were much more likely to miss with their shots. He shoots an arrow into the man’s right bicep to keep his arm immobilized, then shoots the left for good measure. Izzy and Jace are not far off. He can hear Izzy’s laugh as she twirls around in six different places, using one of her favorite illusions. Jace is harder to spot, but only a few yards away. While Izzy’s distracting the minor baddies, Jace is approaching the Demon, hoping to distract him from whatever plot he’s enacting now. Alec’s pretty sure he sees bomb switches, but he can’t see any bombs. He assumes they’re hidden nearby, and silently prompts Jace to hurry up, but it distracted again when another super finally shows up. Most supers know that the Demon is a multiple team job, and thankfully Alec feels a familiar buzz in his blood indicating that Warlock is here. Warlock shows up just when things are looking pretty bleak. Warlock just about always shows up when Demon’s out and about.   
“Looks like you could use a little help!” Warlock offers. Alec grunts in the affirmative, careful not to stare at the sparkly man.  
“Ooh, that ought to help. Bomb’s squad can be there in 10.” Lydia’s voice rings from Alec’s comm. He tunes her out, neglecting a response, but hears Jace mutter about how he had it.  
The four Izzy’s—down two in the past couple minutes—wave back at him, and Alec focuses back on the opponents surrounding him. These henchmen are smarter than most, and made sure to find good cover to fire from and hide behind. Alec curses silently as one hides just out of sight a few meters away, and decides to chance leaving his own hiding spot to get a new angle. He shoots another on the way as he sprints to a new spot, crouching behind a light pole. Definitely not enough cover, but he peeks around the corner and shoots the arrow he’d already notched. The man goes down. Alec shoots one more gunman near himself before moving to take the ones getting too close to Jace. He sees Warlock do some complicated movement with his hands, and looks quickly over at the Demon, who has started getting obviously frustrating with the fake Izzy’s and who has yet to notice the real Izzy sneaking up behind him. The Demon’s always one to give exaggerated monologues, but this time Warlock tries out a new trick before he gets more than a couple sentences in. The Demon is definitely a fierce foe and undeniably intimidating with the red-orange skin and rotting black angel wings. Rumor said he used to be one of the Angels, a highly renowned group of supers who only intervene in world-ending matters and who try to never show themselves. The Demon has been in the villain business for at least a half decade though, and has plagued New York for far too long. Alec sees Demon’s eyes widen but no other movement and chances a look back at Warlock only to see him holding still and sweating. Izzy rushes forward and shoves the elephant tranquilizer she carried into Demon’s bulging neck veins. Demon’s eyes slowly lower, and once they close, Warlock collapses to one knee.  
“Whew, didn’t realize that’d take so much out of me.” The last couple goons realize they’re not gonna get the payout they were hoping for and try to sneak away, but Alec is faster. One arrow in each’s left achilles heel.   
Alec hears a slap and notices Izzy and Warlock’s hands still held high. Jace complains, having been too caught up with the goons to actually complete his plan of sneaking up on Demon.  
“Thanks for the assist.” Izzy says, ignoring Jace’s complaining. Alec reaches behind him for his last arrow in case he missed anyone, but leaves his bow pointing toward the ground.  
“No problem.” Warlock says, still breathing heavily. At least he’s standing on two feet now.   
Lydia’s voice chimes over the earpiece again.  
“Good job guys, cops are right outside. I’d suggest a hasty exit.” Izzy gives Warlock a sorry look and turns to Jace.  
“Time to go. Thanks again, Warlock.”  
“Couldn’t do it without you, Illusionist,” Warlock says, bowing. “Would you mind giving me a ride?” Warlock says, turning directly to Alec. Alec blushes beneath the mask at the double entendre, thankful that it hides his face so well. He feels additional weight in his quiver and realizes Warlock refilled it, either with conjured arrows or by summoning them back. Either way, they’re useful just in case.  
He clears his throat. “Sure.” He says, and gestures toward his motorcycle. It’s not like this is the first time Warlock’s needed a ride, since when he uses too much magic, he can’t portal. But Alec didn’t think Warlock had used so much magic he couldn’t use a portal this time.  
Izzy snickers, and Alec pretends not to hear her. Maybe he’d been busy before he got here.  
Alec erases his strength rune, glad to have not needed it, and walks to his motorcycle. Despite the direct address, Alec is surprised when Warlock follows right behind him. He thought he and Izzy might have one of their flirt-offs. Alec hands him an extra helmet, and throws a leg over the motorcycle, trying not to think about how Warlock will be sitting right behind him.   
“Where to?” He starts the motorcycle and looks over to Warlock when he doesn’t respond to see him openly checking Alec out. Again.  
“Where to?” Alec repeats. Warlock finally stops looking at Alec’s abs and looks back up, but takes a second to process the words.  
“Oh! How about you take me near the public library, and I’ll walk the rest of the way.” Alec nods, and signals his siblings to go on without him. He thinks he hears Izzy yell “get some!” but it’s hard to hear over the motorcycles and police sirens. Almost forgotten, he tells Lydia he’ll be there soon and cuts off his earpiece.  
He feels warm arms wrap around his waist and—is Warlock feeling his abs??—warmer breath against his neck as Warlock shamelessly cuddles close.  
“My hero.” Warlock teases, as they take off. As much as Warlock play-flirts with everyone, it’s always enough to make Alec blush. Alec appreciates his fully gray and black super outfit, going for practicality over fashion. His mask completely obscures his features (and blushes), and a voice modulator makes his voice sound slightly higher pitched than it actually is. Warlock, on the other hand, shows quite a bit of skin, wearing tight pants and sparkly blouse, and a much smaller mask, leaving his tan skin on display.  
Alec forces himself to think of the road and not what Warlock’s face might look under that mask.  
“We really should hang out sometime. We really work a lot better when we’re working together and not as separate teams.” Alec shrugs.  
“Illusionist, Nephilm, and I work together well, but we’re pretty private. I can give you another cell for emergencies, but that’s all I can promise.” Warlock chuckles.  
“I think that’s the most words you’ve ever said to me outside of combat.” Alec shrugs apologetically.  
“Sorry.” Silence stretches out.  
“I’m going about this the wrong way.” Warlock says, and Alec instinctively turns his head a fraction to show he’s listening.  
“I’m trying to find ways to spend more time with you.” Alec blinks, confused.  
“The team—“  
“I mean you, Archer.” Alec can only blink more.  
“... me?” He asks.  
“Yes! I know I flirt with people all the time, but there’s something special about you, I can tell.” Alec pulls to a stop in an alley near the public library and waits for Warlock to dismount before turning to face him, only to find his face much closer than he expected. Alec flushes and can’t help but meet Warlock’s eyes, not that Warlock could see either action. Warlock was unfairly gorgeous, and Izzy and Jace both knew of his not so tiny crush on the fellow vigilante. Alec feels his lips part of their own accord and swallows harshly.  
Warlock looks around for a moment, making sure no one is there before whispering.  
“I’d like to try something.” Alec nods dazily, and waits for whatever magic trick Warlock wants to show him. Instead, he feels soft lips meet his through the fabric of the mask and briefly curses that his mask ever existed. Nonetheless, the pressure on his lips causes his eyes to fall shut, and he holds his breath, trying to process. Much quicker than he would like, Warlock smiles and takes a step back.  
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while.” Alec is utterly speechless, and it takes a minute for his brain to reboot.  
“Bu—wh—why me?” Warlock smiles.  
“Something about you called to me from the very first time I saw you. I can tell you’re special.”  
Alec’s pretty sure not even his full mask can cover how deep he’s flushing.   
“Not to mention,” Warlock continues, “that you are highly competent, a brilliant leader, a superhero, and humble at that.”  
“How would you even know that?”  
“I’ve paid attention to you since our very first meeting two years ago. But I didn’t realize until Illusionist told me that you hadn’t known I was serious about flirting with you.”  
“Bu-But you—“ Warlock put a finger on Alec’s lips.  
“Shh, let me finish... I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I first saw you.” Alec’s mind is going absolutely haywire, but his body shows none of this as he cuts off the motorcycle, steps off of it, and looks at Warlock who is looking a lot more nervous now, unable to make out any of Archer’s face.  
Alec approaches him, looks him up and down, and dives headfirst into the most awkward kiss of his life. Kissing, he decides, is very difficult in a mask. He lifts the mask up to his nose and feels his stubble protest with the friction. His arms have wrapped around Warlock without him noticing, but Warlock seems far from complaining.  
“You’re so beautiful... liked you for forever...” Alec says, barely conscious of the words leaving his mouth. Warlock moans into the kiss and grabs the back of Alec’s neck as he shifts his head to the right, clearly more experienced than Alec, and deepens the kiss.  
Without meaning to, Alec has cornered Warlock against the wall, but Warlock is far from complaining. Alec tries to get the rational part of his brain to reboot cause he’s pretty sure he’s been blue screened for a while now.  
He hesitantly makes the kiss lighter until it’s a series of short and simple pecks that leave him feeling breathless nonetheless. He breaks away from those intoxicating lips to hide his face in Warlock’s neck like he’s hiding from the world.  
“Wow.” Warlock says, flushed and flustered.  
Alec chuckles low. “Yeah.”  
“That was... incredible.” Alec smiles and presses a light kiss to golden the skin on Warlock’s neck.  
“I-I would very much like to do it again, sometime. Perhaps after... a date?” Warlock says hopefully.  
“How?” Alec whispers, finally leaning back.  
“I could portal us anywhere in the city.” And Alec’s heart breaks because he wants this so much, but he’s got Izzy, Jace, Max, his parents... so many people would get hurt if his identity ever came out.  
“My identity... I-I can’t—No one even knows I’m gay—“ Warlock’s smile droops slowly into a grimace.  
“I get it.” He says. “I do. But maybe... in costume...?”  
“I-I don’t know, maybe this was a mistake--”  
“Darling, whatever is between us is not a mistake. But we can leave it as a one-time thing.” Alec nods warily.  
“Purely professional from now on.” Warlock is looking sad again, and resigned.  
“I’ll see you around.” He says, and walks into the night like he’s walking out of Alec’s life. Alec decides he has to let him go.  
After all, how could it ever work when he doesn’t even know the other man’s name or face?

Alec and Warlock stick to their plan. They are purely professional, and Warlock’s flirting with Archer has reached an all-time low. Iz is worried, but she’s always worried, and they’ve got bigger problems on their hands. They always knew Demon wasn’t working alone, but to have a small army break him out of prison was unexpected. Especially because they aren’t hired guns, but really big, really angry dudes on what they presume is the new drug rumored to have come out recently.  
Chimera Blood, they call it. Mixtures of different powered people’s blood, presumably harvested from their very own prisoners, offering a short high and a couple days’ worth of super powers per dose. But incredibly addictive and easily overdosed on, though no one knows exactly what the overdose results in. No one seems to know any victims personally, but everyone on the streets knew a friend of a friend of a friend...  
But as much as Demon is power-hungry, drugs aren’t his forté.  
It doesn’t take too long before they hear the name ‘Valentine.’  
Valentine Morgenstern, leading a drugged up addicted army with an inner group calling themselves the Circle. Valentine Morgenstern, who is by all accounts dead from the Herondale house fire over a decade ago, who had no criminal record whatsoever, and has appeared seemingly overnight with a drug empire.  
After that... the siblings have to take a long look at their parents.  
Maryse Lightwood is a spry woman of 50, mother of Alec, Jace, Izzy, and Max, with a single traffic ticket to her name--running a stop sign. She’s also the biologist ex-wife of the lawyer and current mayoral candidate Robert Lightwood--Alec, Izzy, Max, and Jace’s dad. The divorce was messy and happened when Alec was 21 after he caught his dad cheating. Apparently it had been going on for a while. It was also the year he and his oldest siblings got their powers, not that Max or Maryse knew anything about that.  
Robert Lightwood is a colder man, groomed for the courtroom since he was a baby. He pushed and pushed for Alec to be a lawyer too, but Alec was more a tactician for fieldwork than for a case. He had also signed all of his kids up for self-defense lessons by the time they were four years old, and made sure they kept up with those lessons until they were at least 18. Robert is a man who knows he had power and wields it over anyone who isn’t doing exactly what he wanted. He never hurt his kids, but he’d instilled an inferiority complex in Alec that was crippling, since he likes to fault Alec for whatever his siblings had done. It is part of why Alec is so afraid of coming out in his civilian life. His mother’s a lot better, but she also hadn’t stopped Robert.  
Robert and Maryse had both been close once-upon-a-time to Valentine Morgenstern, along with the Herondales, and a few other families. It was well-known that at one time they had been on the shadier end of legality, skimming the line of ethics in some of their studies, looking for a medication that would enhance the human body... but all of that had stopped when Valentine and the Herondales died.  
Or not.  
Jace and Lydia are on research duty, not that Jace is really helping, while Izzy spies on their mom, and Alec is left with spying on his dad. It’s not really something any of the siblings is comfortable with. And it only gets worse when Alec sees Warlock confronting his father.  
“Robert Lightwood, I’ve got a message for an old buddy of yours. Been something of a ghost around here for about a decade and a half. Ring any bells?”  
“Who the hell are you?” Robert says, and Alec turns on the live comm line.  
“Oh, I’m not all that important. But your friend is. And he’s being a very, very naughty boy. I only recently found out that you have been too! You see, email is just not a very secure form of communication, and I know your old friend’s been trying to blackmail you. Turning on the cause now that it’s finally working? And just for your career? Bold. Bold... but it’s not working is it? Hard to get out once you’re in, I’ve been told.”  
“You don’t know anything!” Robert yells. Warlock looks around, seemingly casually, but Alec can see the anxiety concealed on his face.  
“Actually, I think I know too much. If the henchman following you has anything to say about it.” Alec hears Lydia curse as she broadens the scope of the sensors in Alec’s suit.  
“He’s right, he’s about a half-mile out, just out of range of our sensors. Damn!” Alec feels like cursing too, but he stays silent and still, waiting to see if he’s needed.  
“He’s approaching, armed and dangerous.” Lydia warns. Alec grunts an affirmative.  
Robert curses too. “What the hell are you waiting for, you’re some sort of hero, right?” He points to himself, “Civilian,” and points to the henchman marching forward, sneer on his face, “Gun. Good, bad. Get the bad guy!” Warlock rolls his eyes.  
“I don’t know, Mr. Lightwood.” The man fires a shot and shoots wide. “I need some info first.”  
“Fine, fine, just get me out of here!” Warlock smiles and snaps his fingers, and the gunman portals miles away into a jail cell feet-first.  
“That wasn’t so hard. I need to know everyone you worked with back in the day, and where Valentine is now.”  
“I don’t know where he is, or I’d turn him over to the police!”  
“I don’t think you’d dare do that, Mr. Lightwood. Not when you can’t make sure he stays quiet about your little experiments back in the day--experiments that are hurting people now.” Robert stumbles a step back, as though hit by something.  
“How do you know about those?” He says, trying to seem threatening. Warlock doesn’t answer, only stares at him. Robert takes a few seconds and sighs.  
“There were a bunch of us back in the day. We were only trying to improve human capabilities, give powers to people to level the playing field in a world with superhuman individuals. Valentine was the leader, and his son Sebastian next in line. The Herondales were in on it too, as were the Pangborns, Freeman, Pontmercy, Diuedonne, Blackwell, Magdelena... hell, even Graymark, the cop. We aren’t bad people.” He pauses. “... Weren’t bad people.”  
“The Herondales died in that fire and several of the others followed not long after. We figured we had a mole, but then Valentine... we thought he died too. Broke up the whole operation, decided it was too risky. But we never crossed the line.”  
Warlock speaks up.  
“I believe you... all except for that last part. You see, your computer has some very interesting files. Human test subjects who haven’t volunteered?”  
“It was only the one! Valentine injected him, we didn’t know until after. We just monitored him after--to-to make sure he was safe! He was just a kid. And--and Maryse, she didn’t know, I--I did it, not her--”  
“He was just a kid. Which is why you never should have left him with Valentine. He killed himself when he was ten.”  
“I... I didn’t know.”  
“That’s a shame. I don’t know how you expect to weasel out of this one, but that was a pretty compelling confession. Luckily for you, Graymark’s willing to protect you until Valentine’s taken care of. But first I need to know, where are they?!”  
“Gray--Luke? He’s a cop, how--no! This will ruin my career! I can’t--I can’t let you do this.” Warlock’s eyes widen as Robert pulls a gun from his pocket.  
“I’m not going down for some stupid mistake 20 years ago.” Alec’s moving before he processes anything, shooting an arrow at his own father’s right bicep, but he’s too late. The shot goes wide, grazing the side of Warlock’s temple, where Lydia speculated Warlock’s built-in mini-camera hid.  
But Robert’s moving again fast, dropping the gun to the ground and diving for it again with his left hand. Alec’s faster. He breaks Robert’s left arm at the elbow and stares down at his father for long moments before going to check on Warlock. Robert is unconscious from the pain, and he won’t be able to use either arm for at least a couple weeks. Alec supposes he should feel bad for shooting his father, but he only feels numb.  
“Shit.” Izzy’s voice startles him as he looks at Warlock’s wound. It’s bleeding a few drops every second, and he’s clearly a bit dazed. Alec expects he’ll be fine in the morning, but maybe not to portal home.  
“Illusionist... when did you get on the comms?”  
“When you cut on the live feed to base ops. Nephilim is here too. I... I had no clue. That--that he would do that.” She sounds a little choked up. Alec closes his eyes and sighs. This isn’t how he wanted his day to go. Warlock seems to shake himself out of it while Alec takes a moment.“Great timing.” Warlock announces, smiling. But Alec can’t smile back as he offers Warlock a ride.  
“No thanks, Darling. New leads to follow up on. No rest for the wicked, they say.” He opens a portal and waves at Alec before stepping through. Robert Lightwood sinks suddenly into the floor as a new portal is opened underneath him. Jace’s voice sounds on the comms.  
“Meet back at base. I think we gotta talk.” Alec jumps on his motorcycle and races off, unable to think properly, only feeling numb inside. It’s 11pm on a Friday night, and Alec wants to go back in time, stop those damning words from leaving his father’s mouth, yell, cry, scream himself hoarse. He does nothing but ride.  
When he gets to base, there’s a tension there he’s never felt before. They try to keep everything as lighthearted as possible, dealing in such a dark business. But never has anything hit this close to home.  
It’s Jace who breaks the silence with a question they don’t really have an answer to.  
“What do we tell mom?”  
They’re up until 6 in the morning when Izzy makes a fresh pot of coffee, changes her clothes, takes an incredibly quick shower, and says she’s off to work, sleeplessness-be-damned. Jace watches her leave and decides he can take the day off, and calls in sick and goes upstairs to sleep or get drunk. Lydia sets off half an hour after that, trying to make sure Alec’s okay, but he just nods to her questions. He feels utterly drained, and the second he’s sure Lydia’s gone, he allows himself to cry alone, still in last night’s costume, in a base he, his siblings, and Lydia made with the money he got from his father--apology money, after the divorce.  
Alec cries himself to sleep, then cries some more. Around noon, he wakes up, gets dressed, has the last of Lydia’s coffee pot, and gets to work.  
He saves the confession from his own headset onto a jumpdrive, and wonders if he can bear to give it to the police.  
He tries to busy himself with other work, training, anything, but his mind just keeps coming back to his dad, willing to shoot a man to avoid going to jail for the things he’s done. He tells his mom that he’s coming to visit for the weekend, to spend time with her and Max. He packs his bags and decides his dad’s approval can go f*ck itself.  
He comes out to his mom and Max that day, and promises himself that his happiness is more important than the approval of the man who gave him his genes.

Illusionist and Nephilim take over while he’s gone for the weekend, and smile when he tells them he came out to their mom and Max. They’re proud of him, and he decides their smiles alone are worth a dozen Robert Lightwoods. He puts the jumpdrive in an envelope and waits for another sign of Valentine.

Izzy’s the one to get the lead this time through her pathology job. Someone who took Chimera Blood landed in the hospital, hallucinating and trying to burn the staff with his red-hot skin before they sedate him. He’s the first one to have made it to a hospital, but thankfully not the last.  
“Since I am the best of the best,” Izzy tells them, “I narrowed it down to 5 known people with powers, all of which have gone missing in the last year.” She says pulling up the files. “There are also at least 6 unknowns though, who could be anybody. But the powers of the people on the drugs always relate in some way to the powers of the people whose blood was used. We know the source of fire, earthquakes, instant-alcohol, flying, and metal-bending, and I think the other powers--at least by police record--are fireworks, heat-vision, lasers, breathing underwater, and healing. Get a batch that doesn’t have a dominant power to it and... bad things.”  
“Lydia, triangulate where they’ve all gone missing from.” Jace says.  
“On it... all snatched from or live within a five mile radius. Centermost point is likely... the old Herondale house?” Jace grimaces.  
“Morbid.”  
“Suit up. I’m calling in Warlock for this one.”  
Izzy smiles and teases, “Sure you don’t just wanna call your booooyfriend?” Alec rolls his eyes.  
“He’s not my boyfriend.”  
“But you want him to be!” She says cheerfully. Alec doesn’t say anything and Jace winks at Izzy.

They wait a couple days to research and scout out the area before doing anything. They don’t believe the victims are in immediate danger, but they also can’t be sure of their condition. The security around the building is suspiciously light, consisting of a few circle members, easily identified by the large circular rash regular small doses of Chimera Blood leaves behind, and a half-dozen gunmen in civvies. But there are dozens of heat signatures inside and evidence of a lot of electricity in the building. There are 12 slightly cooler heat signatures, probably suffering from blood loss. They’re pretty much evenly spread apart, except for the 2 smaller signatures surrounding one larger one. They’re pretty sure that one is five-year-old Madzie Loss, but the other child is unknown.

The first day of stakeouts, Alec goes to his father’s office 2 days after his dad’s mistress reported him missing. As much as he didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps, Alec is a natural leader, and assumes his father’s duties as much as possible while he’s gone. Most of his active cases have to be postponed, and his secretary looks like she’s functioning purely off of the expresso machine in the office. Alec takes a week off work and tries his best, delegating what he himself can’t do to the secretary or the other people in the office, and trying to make sure his dad’s hiding out doesn’t lose many of his old babysitters and family friends their jobs. He’s in the middle of a file Robert was looking at, surprised to see the Herondale file on the desk. He knew there had been an investigation, but he’d had no idea that there had been traces of accelerant that had been pushed under the rug.  
He snaps the file closed when he hears someone who isn’t his dad’s secretary clear their throat. He looks up to see the most gorgeous man he’s ever met standing awkwardly in his doorway. He’s dressed brightly in shiny colors, with glitter in his hair and in his makeup that could give Izzy a run for her money. Alec’s never seen someone so beautiful, and it takes his breath away.  
“You’re, uh, secretary said I could come in.” The man says, breaking Alec out of his unconscious stupor.  
“Yes, well she’s not really my secretary, but--not important. Come in. I’m afraid my--we’re not taking any new clients at the moment.”  
“No, I’m not a client. I’m not here for legal service. I’m here to talk to you, Mr. Lightwood.”  
“Alec.” He corrects without thought. “Alec Lightwood.”  
“Alexander?” He asks. Alec just nods.  
“If you’re not here for a legal consultation, then what do you need, Mr...?”  
“Bane, Magnus Bane.” The name sounds slightly familiar.  
“Well you see, two of my close friends went missing in the last week, both of them individuals with... unique skills.”  
“This sounds like a matter for the police, Mr. Bane.”  
“Magnus, please.” He says with a small smile. “I don’t think formalities are the right way to proceed with this conversation. You see, a... friend of mine told me something very important about this situation. Namely that your father’s actions contributed to my friends being kidnapped.” Alec startles.  
“What?”  
“Robert Lightwood confessed to him that he used to work with the kidnapper, but his recording device was damaged. Your father doesn’t know this film was compromised, but without it, we won’t have a confession. I don’t expect you to believe me--”  
“No, I--I believe you, I... I did some digging.” Magnus nods his head slowly.  
“Without that confession, your father might get away with child experimentation among a dozen other crimes. Two of the most important people in the world to me are being held as prisoners, bled dry like they’re not even people--” He gets too choked up to finish for a moment before regaining his composure.  
“I will do anything to get them back and make sure the people responsible go to jail, including begging. And the key to that is your father, who can name all his accomplices and put them behind bars, nail Valentine... ”  
“Why are you telling me this?” Alec said, looking at the floor before meeting the others’ eyes again.  
“Because I am here to beg you to make your father confess.” Alec sits down heavily in his father’s desk chair and slouches against the hard surface. He sits there, silently, thinking, and then he grabs his bag, while Magnus watches on.  
He grabs the envelope he’s been waiting to send, and hands it over to Magnus, standing awkwardly after, unsure what to do with his hands.  
“That was on my doorstep a few nights ago. I watched it, and I gotta say... didn’t realize my dad--that my dad could do those things... But it’s all you’ll need.” He wipes a tear from his eye before it can fall.  
“I was gonna send it to the police when my dad shows back up or when that Valentine guy gets arrested or... I don’t know. But to be honest, I’m a little afraid to send it. So I would like you to do it. Now, if you’d like. It doesn’t--it doesn’t say where they are. I don’t think my dad even knows. But it’s a lead.” Now Magnus is the one trying cry and smudge his makeup.  
“Thank you.” He whispers, and he walks slowly out of the office. Alec texts Izzy, Jace, and Lydia to let them know and then closes his phone to get back to work. He forgets about the Herondale case until he’s packing up for the day.  
To Lydia: Could you look into something for me? I’ll bring it by tonight. I think it might be important. - Read 5:57 p.m.

Izzy, it’s decided, is the one to tell Maryse and Max. She’s best with emotions out of all of them except Lydia, and Alec decides he’s allowed to be a coward every now and again and let someone else be a responsible person. Maryse calls him an hour later, hearing about how he gave the jumpdrive to a victim’s friend, and assures him she doesn’t blame him one bit for what’s about to happen. She says she’s so proud of him.  
Lydia gets back to him the next morning, the day of the raid. The old police records were only made public access a few years ago. Apparently the Herondales had a young boy, who was never found in the wreckage, Valentine’s DNA on the scene caused him to be declared dead when he went missing, and the obvious signs of arson had been written off as non-important. The Herondales had actually gone missing for a few months before the fire--which happened to take place the very first time they’d been home in months. The fire was officially considered an accident by Emil Pangborn when he was still a cop, the year he retired and coincidentally, the year he died. The missing six-year-old was the most curious part. But the Herondale mystery could wait until after those people were rescued.  
Infiltration is easy. They aren’t concerned about sneaking around, so Illusionist makes the Circle members and gunmen dizzy while Nephilim attracts gunfire, Archer rains down arrows. They lure the lower-ranks outside while Warlock has the special job of getting inside, but he can only portal where he has seen, and the hulking figure of Demon blocks his sight. Cracking his knuckles, he says,  
“They call me the Demon cause I was named after the Prince of Hell. And I intend to make sure you go straight there after what you did. You nearly ruined me!” Warlock is surrounded by walls of fire suddenly, circling him and making it hard to breathe.  
“Years of work, lost. And you’re gonna pay for that in blood, boy.” Warlock shivers despite the intense heat, the tone and words sounding too familiar, and looks with wide eyes at the large figure with fire dancing in his eyes. He visibly steels his resolve.  
“Well then, Asmodeus Bane, the fight is on.” He’s not prepared, he knows. He doesn’t have a tranquilizer this time, and he’s all by himself. Demon, who he called Asmodeus, bares his teeth in a animalistic threat and attacks.  
The fire scorches the ground under his feet, and he’s pretty sure his leather boots are melting, his thick socks the only thing keeping him from touching the hot steel meant to protect his toes. He aims a kick at Asmodeus but cries out when his kick is checked by Asmodeus’s shin, red from the heat boiling just under the skin. He falls back, favoring his off-leg, and tries a new attack. He summons water and puts out the flames on the ground while Asmodeus visibly and audibly sizzles.  
“Nice try, boy. But I’ve never been this angry, and those drugs are a hell of a thing.” He throws a fist forward and Warlock throws up a portal right where the fist would meet his face that goes straight to the machinery he saw when he came in. There’s a harsh crunch as the metal bends and starts sparking and a cry of pain as Asmodeus’s thumb is broken. He yells out, angrier than ever, and fire pours out of him, flames licking at the ceiling of what once was a manor for the second time in as many decades. Warlock pushes his advantage and looks at the sparking machinery with interest. He decides the best option is a tactical retreat, and runs out the door he entered with a plan in mind. He opens a portal back up to the room he was just in and concentrates on shooting water through the portal at the same time. It’s taxing to use both powers at once, and keeping up a portal is much more difficult than opening one. All at once he hears a great buzzing sound from inside and closes the portal when all the lights short out. He summons a small fire in his hands and opens the door cautiously, avoiding the water that dribbles toward the door. He stares across the room, Asmodeus down, and portals across the room to a dry spot.  
This room is much larger, and might have been a ballroom once. Warlock uses that emergency cell to patch through to Archer’s comm.  
“Avoid the water on the floor at the entrance, it’s electrically charged.”  
“Okay?” Archer says, but Warlock ignores the rest as he keeps going. He hears noise behind him, and hopes it’s friendlies, and ignores that Simon’s probably patching him through to their comms right now.  
“Just me.” Archer says, coming up behind Warlock. “The only heat signatures left are those of the prisoners, so Illusionist and Nephilim are playing around with the druggies, getting them to use up their powers.” Warlock nods and turns the corner. There are 12 cells against the left side of the hall. One wall’s half gone, and the cells are all connected to IV’s that feed saline or nutrients and others that take blood.  
Warlock rushes in with a pained cry to the last cell, and clearly the most recently constructed, with a woman Archer sees is Catarina Loss, whose pale blue skin looks nearly white. clutching a worryingly pale little girl he thinks is Madzie and a slightly older boy he doesn’t recognize. The woman’s eyes are open, but she only smiles at Warlock. The girl, however, flutters her eyes open and ignores the tug on her IV’s as she tries to throw her arms around Warlock in a fierce hug, but only flops them uselessly towards him.  
“Magnus! You came!” Archer blinks rapidly, at the odd name and looks around to see if anyone else is aware enough to notice, but only the boy is awake, and he looks horribly dazed.  
“I sure did, sweet pea. We’re gonna get your mommy and all the other people here to a hospital so you’ll feel better, okay?” Madzie nods her head and hides her face in Warlock’s shoulder and Alec sees gills on the side of her neck. Alec leaves them to their tender reunion to free the other patients, as they lead them out the back way. One of them, a man with wings, startles awake when Alec grabs him and says hoarsely,  
“Valentine... He’s... He’s... basement...” Alec jerks up and opens the line to Lydia.  
“Is there a basement?” Harsh rattling emanates from below like a pounding on the ceiling, and the entire foundation shakes and keeps shaking, nearly knocking Alec to the floor.  
“Yes, but I’m not picking up any heat signatures... If they lined the basement with enough steel, I wouldn’t be able to pick up anything. Be careful Archer and wait for backup. Nephilim and Illusionist are 20 seconds out.” Alec nods and looks for a basement door, but he doesn’t need to find it when the hideous figure of what once was a man emerges from the floor. Alec’s eyes widen incredibly as he stares at what had been Valentine Morgenstern. Now part blue, with gills on one side of his neck, one and a half broken charred looking wings, with a metal arm and glowing red eyes, the terrifying figure smiles at it sees Archer and speaks with a croaky voice.  
“Ah, the famous Archer. So glad to finally meet you. Shame, really, that you got in the way. You could have been great. Such versatile powers... I’d love to add you to my collection.” Nephilim and Illusionist enter, battle-ready, unprepared though for the sight they see. The man’s eye twitches and his left elbow shoots out a laser that drills a hole in the floor.  
“I’m still getting the hang of all this, I’m afraid. You’ll have to excuse me if your death is slow, but these things simply can’t be helped.” The man summons a fireball in his hand and throws it forward with a mix of metal off his arm, forming a scorching liquid that burns all it touches. Archer, Nephilim, and Illusionist all throw themselves to the ground to avoid the spray, and Warlock portals in just as Valentine summons a miniature earthquake to rock the entire place, knocking him too to the floor.“Did you know I can make it rain alcohol?” He says, looking up at the ceiling in wonder, as droplets of pure ethanol drip from seemingly nothing. “Great parlor trick, also works as a wonderful accelerant.”  
“The Herondale fire!” Lydia says in the comms. Illusionist decides to keep him distracted if possible.  
“You set the Herondale fire?” She yells, praying that the boys have some sort of plan.  
“Of course. You see, they went and hid their kid from me, because they didn’t have the vision I do. Hid out for a few months, but I... convinced them to meet with me. But they hid the child well. Closed adoption, no Herondales to be found. Not that it matters now. I’ll find him in time.”  
The ethanol rain stops, and he holds a small flame in his hand, staring intensely into it, not noticing Nephilim snarling and being held back by Illusionist.  
The flame flickers then grows to four times its size singing his eyebrows and making him flinch away, clearly unprepared for this reaction. The flame goes out.  
“Incredible.” He says. “You know, this stuff doesn’t work on people who already have powers. And those of weak blood just flicker and die like a little snuffed out flame.” He turns to face his audience again.  
Illusionist whispers in her comm. “He can’t control them.”  
“But my blood is pure. I was born from two of the Angels, you see, only they didn’t want a baby without powers. But I was blessed from my birth. This is my birthright.” He flicks a new flame at the floor carelessly and they all scramble to avoid the giant puddle of fuel, some of which is on them. Warlock summons a portal, and forces them all through running, one by one. He jumps through himself when something grabs his shoulder, and he cries out as he’s used as a lever to help Valentine through. He tries closing the portal, but knows his portals won’t close with something in them unless he’s unconscious.  
“Not so fast, children. I’m not done with you yet.” He cackles as a firework shoots from his foot and lands harmlessly in the ground.  
Alec launches an arrow directly in his eye and he cries out as it penetrates, but not enough. It’s nowhere near a fatal blow, as some of the arrow incinerated before it even reached him. He holds his eye in place as he tries to remove the arrow, and Alec quickly shoots one at the other eye, one at each bicep, and one at each achilles heel, but they hardly seem to damage him, burning up before they can do as much damage, or maybe the metal bending is just removing the metal arrowheads. Valentine roars with fury as he finally gets the arrow out and the eye starts healing before their eyes, but the other one now has splinters in it and can’t be opened.  
“I still have heat vision, you little runts!” He takes the metal from his arm and forms it into a large sword that he swings recklessly and relentlessly at Illusionist, with Nephilim doing his best to get in between the blows, easily taking the hits, but unable to fight back while under such heavy assault.  
“Ideas?!” Archer yells in the comms, and Lydia finally pipes up.  
“Yes, yes! Illusionist wasn’t kidding about bad things happening when a dominant blood isn’t present. Problem is, a mix of all of them is too uneven, no dominant power to be given. The original high leads to strength and really strong powers, but it also causes mental instability and the powers come from your energy reserves! Keep him fighting, keep him out of control, and he’ll tire him out!”  
“Not all that helpful!” Illusionist screams into the mike, dodging another blow. Warlock has been creating portals for the sword to go through to strike against Valentine, but the metal only bends around him and goes right back to normal, though Valentine always stumbles dangerously during this time. Another earthquake occurs, and Nephilim shouts,  
“He can only use one power at a time!” Warlock’s mind clearly races as he looks around him and settles on a nearby pond.  
“Drown him!”  
“What?!” Voices ring out.  
“He can only use one power at a time, and it’ll have to be water-breathing!” Archer notches an explosive arrow and lets it fly at Valentine’s right foot, causing him to stumble backwards and away from his siblings. Before repeating the process as many times as possible. But he’s only halfway across the 50 foot span of land from the house to the pond when Archer runs out of explosive arrows.  
“Warlock, bring the water to him!” Lydia cries.  
“Right!” He says, and uses all of his concentration on forcing large amounts of water to encircle Valentine’s head and shoulders and drag him toward the pond.  
“He’s mine!” Nephilim yells, running to the pond after Valentine.  
“Put him in shallow water!”  
“But he’ll--”  
“Just do it!” Nephilim screams, and Warlock complies, wondering what the plan is.  
“I’m too low on energy, I can’t hold him!”  
“Take mine!” Archer shouts, grabbing hold of Warlock and praying this works. Warlock nods and Alec feels himself draining quickly as Warlock tries to keep water over this terrifying man’s head. Nephilim reaches the water and throws himself on top of Valentine, holding his head down with his whole body, taking a beating from the wings flapping frantically behind Valentine.  
“He’s not using his breathing powers.” Illusionist whispers, watching the wings struggle to lift him into the air.  
The wings weaken their struggle... and cease. Nephilim keeps holding him down, crying.  
Illusionist approaches him slowly and pries his hand off of Valentine.  
“He killed my parents.” Nephilim says, and Warlock’s pretty sure he wasn’t meant to hear that.  
“I know. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Warlock stops draining Archer’s energy, but holds onto his hand anyway.  
“They’re safe.” He says. Archer looks at him for a minute and folds him into a tight hug.  
“Police will be there any second.” Lydia murmurs, and finally everyone hears the sirens they’d been ignoring.  
“We should go.” Archer mumbles. Silently, they go to their motorcycles, and Warlock says nothing as he wraps his arms around Archer and hangs on.  
They don’t offer to drop him off. They fly past the library and toward an empty alley, stashing their bikes in a hidden garage that opens from the alley and going inside. Warlock wonders if they forgot he’s here until Archer places a hand on his shoulder to lead him the rest of the way to headquarters under Alec and Jace’s shared house.  
Lydia’s waiting for them with a sad smile.  
“We did it.” She says and smiles at Warlock. He smiles back weakly and accepts the gatorade and protein bars she thrusts into everyone’s hands.  
They all look around awkwardly at first, unsure what to do next before Nephilim gets sick of it and takes off his mask and offers a hand, surprising Warlock.  
“Jace Lightwood... er... Herondale-Wayland-Lightwood.” Warlock shakes the hand on autopilot, and Illusionist follows her brother’s lead and removes her mask.  
“Isabelle Lightwood.” She says and waves to him. Warlock turns to Archer.  
“So that means...” Archer takes off his mask.  
“Alec Lightwood.” Magnus puts his hands around his mask, hesitates, and pulls.  
“Magnus Bane. Pleased to meet you.” He says, looking right at Alec, and smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments lead to me writing more often... that said, this work is *COMPLETE*
> 
> Please review :)


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